ICE HOCKEY: Belfast Giants suffer setback with defeat to Dundee Stars

The Belfast Giants lost further ground in their bid to end a three-year trophy drought last night when they lost 2-0 to the Dundee Stars in their Elite League clash in Scotland.

The result signalled their second defeat in a row following a 3-0 loss to the Cardiff Devils 24 hours earlier at the SSE Arena.

In last night’s encounter at the Dundee Ice Arena, Belfast head coach Adam Keefe introduced new netminder Chris Truel but it wasn’t a debut he will want to remember.

After a low-key opening period which ended scoreless, with the Giants winning the shot count 9-7 but unable to convert, the hosts opened the scoring five minutes into the second session.

Johan Andersson took advantage of a one-on-one with Truehl when he neatly beat the goalie on 24:55. Seven minutes into the final period, Dundee doubled their lead when Brian Hart’s slapshot ripped into the net.

There was no way back for the Giants who face the Nottingham Panthers in Belfast on Wednesday night.

On Saturday night, the 3-0 loss to the Cardiff Devils ended the Giants’ six-game winning streak and handed Keefe’s team their first home defeat of the season.

The league champions broke the deadlock in the eighth minute when Justin Faryna was able to race down the ice unchallenged and lift the puck one over netminder Jackson Whistle.

The Giants had limited possession and any time they did get one of their seven first-period shots on target, the visitors’ goalie Ben Bowns was equal to the task.

The second period was goalless with the Devils content to slow the play down and keep possession.

Six minutes into the final session, Cardiff extended their lead when they were a man down as Mathew Myers set up Gleason Fournier.

Keefe took off his goalie in one last attempt to salvage something from the game. However, Joey Martin scored into the empty net.